


the monster that brought her into the light

by sweetsindle



Series: A Savior From the Beyond Verse [2]
Category: Little Misfortune (Video Game)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Benjamin is part-fox, Benjamin the fox - Freeform, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Foster Care, Homeschool, Misfortune Ramirez Hernandez - Freeform, Misfortune has adventures with Benjamin, Morgo adopts Misfortune as his daughter, Morgo shapeshift into a human form, Mr. Voice, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Recovery, Science Fiction & Fantasy, They become super close, a direct continuation of a brown eyed girl's savior, adoption au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-01-25 00:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21347185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetsindle/pseuds/sweetsindle
Summary: ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ʟɪғᴇ, ᴍᴏʀɢᴏ, ᴅᴜʙʙᴇᴅ ᴍʀ. ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ sᴡᴇᴇᴛ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ sᴀᴠᴇᴅ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴏʀʀɪʙʟᴇ ʟɪғᴇ, ʜᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ʀᴇsᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ. ʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴs ᴛᴏ ʀᴇsᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴀᴍᴇ ғᴀᴛᴇғᴜʟ ᴅᴀʏ, ᴏɴʟʏ...ᴍɪsғᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴇ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ'ᴛ ᴅɪᴇ.
Relationships: Benjamin the Fox & Mr. Voice (Little Misfortune), Misfortune Ramirez Hernandez & Mr. Voice
Series: A Savior From the Beyond Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1513010
Comments: 54
Kudos: 259





	1. ruby eyes and cinnamon-twist smiles

_"Mr. Voice...?"_

Misfortune mumbled groggily, sleepily rubbing her currently-bleary eyes as she sat up in...her _bed? _

She was so, so confused. What was she doing here? The last thing she remembered was meeting up with Mr. Voice for the first time in person...And then...now she was here? 

The little girl swung her legs over the side of her bed after peeling off the blanket that had been wrapped around her like a cocoon and got up.

Realizing that she wasn't even wearing her favorite green dress. Instead, she was wearing her frilly, white, pink-polka-dotted nightgown that she had gone to bed in the night before she met Mr. Voice.

Confused and still very, very much half-asleep, she dragged herself to the bathroom where she started her day.

Picking up her pearly-pink toothbrush, grabbing a nearby tube of toothpaste, and squeezing out a pea-sized amount on the brush and starting her daily ritual of brushing her teeth. 

Several minutes later, she finished brushing her teeth, brushing her hair, and quickly throwing on her usual clothes consisting (this time).

An old yellow sundress, paired with ripped white tights, scuffed-up brown boots, and a two-sizes-too-small grey cardigan. 

"Mommy...? Do we have any food for breakfast, or did Daddy take the car before you could get some?" Misfortune asked with a tired yawn, a few minutes later as she walked into the kitchen.

Swinging her coral pink backpack onto her shoulder as her mom gave her a tired 'Good morning.' 

"We have some Honey Oats cereal, but that's about it. I was going to go last night after you went to bed, but your piece of shit father took the car to the nightclub before I could." Misfortune's mom replied with an obviously-annoyed tone, rolling her eyes from underneath her scary-looking mask. "I'm sorry..."

"It's ok...At least there's something. I was worried because I thought that I was gonna have to go without food before school again." Misfortune replied, setting her backpack down near the door, and making her way to the cupboard, where she grabbed a cracked, grey bowl, and the box of almost empty Honey Oats. 

Dumping the remainder of the cereal into her bowl, she grabbed a nearby spoon and downed the whole thing in almost five minutes, just in time to walk to school. Saying goodbye, Misfortune picked her backpack up by it's handle and walked out the door, huffing in annoyance. _"Geez, this is just great...Not only am I totally confused about yesterday, again, but Daddy's also not here to take me to school!"_ she grumbled, kicking a nearby rock before heading down the street and making sure not to step a foot IN the road. 

Two miles later, uncomfortable, annoyed, and the sweatiest she's been in MONTHS, she was finally, JUST FINALLY at school...But an hour late. _"Of course, I am...Thanks, Daddy..."_ She whispered under her breath, making her way to the office, and gently tapping on the desk, hoping to get the secretary's attention. "X'use me, Miss Romero? I'm super late, but I'm here. Can I have a pass?"

Looking up from the computer, the young woman, Miss Adelia Romero, raised an eyebrow as she heard a familiar voice. "Misfortune, why are you late today...? It's the third time this week. Did your Mom get too drunk again...?"

Misfortune nodded softly, looking to her shoes in embarrassment, a soft dusting of pink rested on her cheeks. "No...Daddy took the car to go clubbing..." 

It was only a few seconds before Misfortune was handed a late pass, earning the secretary a "thank you, miss" before she rushed out the doors, and to her classroom, hoping to avoid a lecture. Quietly opening the door, the little girl weeded through the plethora of students desks, all the way to the back, where her's was, and taking a seat.

\- but not before awkwardly handing in her pass to her teacher.

"Jamie, could you please give Misfortune the assignment?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

"Mommy, I'm home from schooool~!"

Yelled Misfortune as she walked in through the door of her home, after yet another long walk home from school...Only to realize that her mom wasn't home...Again. She groaned, dragging her backpack to her room, and taking out a few folders, a notebook and a pencil, and placing them all on her desk, while she put her backpack on the floor.

"I guess I'll just do homework until then...I hope she went grocery shopping..."The girl mumbled to herself, taking a seat at her desk chair, and starting on that day's homework. 

Looking closely at the material, she came to a realization...This wasn't new homework. Now that she thought about it, today was exactly like "yesterday" had been. The classwork was the same, the same mean kids on the playground called her a 'pumpkin head', and Miss Romero gave her a ham sandwich, a juice box, and M&M's from the vending machine for lunch because there wasn't any food left for her to pack to take to school that day...

"What is this? I remember doing this exact multiplication table yesterday, and reading chapter two of that one Nancy Drew book for my reading log!" Misfortune said aloud, suddenly getting a bad feeling in her heart, biting her lip out of pure nervousness. She quickly (and quite sporadically, I might add) completed her homework for the day, awaiting her mother's arrival, after remembering that yesterday, they had a few new vegetables in the fridge that her mother had bought for a stew that night. "She should be home in like what, ten minutes...right?"

Getting up from her seat, she got down on her knees for a second, fishing around in her backpack for a moment before pulling out the bottle of glitter, that she remembered taking the day before, for a project...Without asking. "Oops. I s'pose I should like, give this back tomorrow and ask for permission...Stupid me, I forgot again!" She said with a jittery sigh, turning a heel, and retreating to her rug, and taking a seat, noticing that her paper dolls weren't out like they had been, before. "Oh...ok..." she mumbled with a sigh, grabbing a nearby bin towards her, and taking out her dolls. 

"Did I just redo today...? I mean, it felt like it...That and I did just do everything I did yesterday, so it could be..." Misfortune mumbled quietly as she took the bottle of glitter, and emptied a pile onto her free hand. Carefully set it on the floor, before getting engrossed in one of her favorite activities. 

She giggled softly, a bright, carefree smile on her lips as she sprinkled a bit of glitter on one of her favorite paper dolls, who she named Kimberly. "Ha~ you look so cute today, but not as cute as me, of course!" 

* * *

"Misfortune, come to the dining room. Now."

Misfortune's mother said, after opening the door, her voice a mixture of pain and deadpan. "Come, dear, don't just sit there..." she told the little girl with a dejected sigh, disappearing into the kitchen.

Snapped out of her play, Misfortune nodded softly, quickly getting up and dusting herself free of glitter with a nervous sigh. She set down the doll that had been in her hand and ran her fingers through her shoulder-length, semi-messy dark hair, and headed out her door, and down the hall to the kitchen, dreading whatever it was more and more, every second getting more and more unbearable as it passed.

"It'll be ok, Misfortune. Just take a deep breath!" The girl mumbled quietly to herself, before shyly opening the door, and walking in...Only to come face to face with a seemingly young man,

The man before her felt...strange. She didn't know why, or how, but he...just did. She felt like she knew him, but at the same time, he felt different, and she had no idea why. 

Getting a good look at him, she noticed that his eyes were a beautiful shade of red. 'Rubies,' Misfortune decided. 'They look like rubies.' He had slick back charcoal-black hair, blinding-white, perfect teeth, a black button-up that was rolled up to his elbows with a blood-red tie, smart-looking black dress pants, and a pair of gothic boots...And was that a tattoo, on the side of his neck? Cool! 

"Hi, mister! I'm Misfortune...What are you doing here?" She asked awkwardly, pulling on a strand of her thick black hair, twirling it around her pointer finger. Yeah...Now that she thought about it, why was this guy here? Her mom sounded so unhappy when she came to get here...Did something bad happen?

He gave her a kind smile and a friendly wave. "It's nice to meet you, Misfortune. I'm Morgo Voice, here with the Sweden Foster Care System. I'm here to get you away from this place..." He told her, a sad smile on his lips as he got down on one knee, in front of the young girl, to get to her eye level. "I know you probably think that everything here, at your house, is okay and going fine, but it isn't, sadly. And because of that, you must come with me. Don't worry, you're not in trouble in any way. It's your Daddy and Mommy, that is, for not taking very good care of you." 

"But...If I gotta go away, then where will I go...?" She whispered, tears unknowingly welling up in her eyes, as Morgo got up, and took her hand with a caring smile. 

"With me, of course. Don't worry...And we'll get you a coat and some dinner. Anything you'd like to eat, that's what we'll have. How does that sound?" He asked, earning a small smile from the little girl, who gave him a tiny nod. 

"It sounds...Really, good. I am super hungry, and soup that Mommy makes usually doesn't have a lot of stuff in it, anyways..." 

"Oh? That's not good. A growing girl like yourself needs soup with lots of tasty vegetables and meat to help you grow big and strong!"

As Misfortune followed Mr. Voice to his car, hand in hand, she couldn't help but genuinely smile. _'Huh...No wonder why he felt so familiar...'_

_"Mr. Voice, why did you come back for me?"_


	2. car rides and sapphire-blue trimmings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow, what a surprisingly wild week that's been! Missy's been adopted by her social worker, Mr. Voice, and they've finally arrived to their new home after the whole fiasco with her getting away from her nasty parents.
> 
> On a car ride home from court, Missy and Morgo have a little talk while Missy daydreams about the week.

"Mr. Voice, are we there yet?" Fortune "Missy" (dubbed by Morgo) Voice groaned as she peered up from her window. It had been a solid three hours since she and her new dad had gotten on the road after all the necessary court and legal things had been cared of, to finally get her away from her old abusive home life. 

It was strange, really.

One of the nice ladies that Missy had talked to earlier, Mrs. Olsson, had told her that the adoption process would take a year, or more - but here she was, in her "new dad"'s car, driving off to their new home...To a new life. 

_'A good one,'_ he promised. 

She still remembers the bright yet hopeful smile n his face as they both walked into the courtroom, her tiny hand's in his big ones. Missy, at the time, didn't know if she should believe him or not, considering the day they had the week before. Still, now that she had gotten to spend all this time with him, she discovered this newfound confidence in the black-haired man, regaining her trust in him.

_'If he says he'll give me a good one, why doubt him?'_ She thought with a giggle as they both took their seats, and it started.

By the end of the week, Morgo's appeal to adopt her had been approved, and just like that, he was her Papa! 

He gave her a high five, and afterward, they went out to get ice cream! Mr. Voice hadn't wanted any, but he told her she could get whatever flavor happened to fancy her at the moment, to which she picked cotton candy, having never tried it before,

_'Mommy would of never let me have this,' she had told Morgo, who gave her a strange look just before he handed the cashier his money. _

_'My, whatever do you mean, dear?'_

He would hand her the treat, and they went outside together, both taking seat on a nearby bench and enjoying the beautiful sunny day._ 'Whenever we got ice cream, it was super rare. It was always vanilla, nothin' else, you see?'_

_'Why just vanilla?'_

_'Mommy liked it, and it was cheap...Or at least that's what I think she said.'_

_'Any other reason, sweetheart?'_

She had fallen silent, looking to her mary-jane shoes, gently swinging her legs as she held her treat on her lap, hands firmly around the white and blue bowl. _'Mommy says what kids say, don't matter. We're supposed to be seen, not heard.'_

It was at that moment when her adoptive father fell silent, staring off into the distance as she awkwardly looked up at him, shrugging slightly. 

_'it's okay, okay, Mr. Voice? I won't be seein' them again, I think. So she won't say mean stuff to me anymore. You don't gotta worry no more, okay? I don't like it when you're mad or scared...The lady said my old Daddy got locked up, and my old Mommy is gonna, too...But for not as long.' _she told the young man with a soft smile. 

_'Even so, it's wrong that you were ever treated so horribly. No one deserves that, you know? But at the end of the day, I do suppose them rotting in a cell is better than just outright them being gone...'_

_'Why do you say that?'_

_'Because then they get to be eaten alive by guilt...Not to mention, they'll definitely suffer for their actions. People that abuse their children don't have nice times in prison, you know. Even if it's not a death sentence, they won't make it out alive...'_ He had told her, before noticing that she hadn't been eating.

_'You really think so...? Mommy said that's just how life is...' _

_'Yes, it's absorbently deplorable. If you were to grow up with those...hooligans, you wouldn't grow up to be a very nice young lady.'_ he had said. _'Now, let us stop talking about such depressing things. I've got you a treat, haven't I? You're going to let it melt if you don't eat it soon!'_

_'Oh, I can eat it?'_

_'Yes, dear! Why are you even asking me if you may? I got it for you, didn't I?'_

She had shrugged, picking up her spoon and began eating the delectable treat, a smile appearing on her lips as soon as she tasted it. _'Oooh, this is really good, Mr. Voice!'_ she had giggled, before responding to his initial question. _'Daddy and Mommy said bad girls don't get treats.'_

_'Bad girls? What are they on? _ _Your old parents are just garbage..._ _You're not bad, sweetheart. They're selfish. They're miserable, so they want you to suffer too, even though you've done nothing to them.' _

"Almost Miss Fortune. You've been asking me this nonstop ever since we left the store to get you some new dresses! I know for a fact I told you that getting home would be a while...Why do you think we stopped at the art store, to get you all those colored pencils, and that new sketchbook?"

"I already drew like, three pictures! Oh, and now my head hurts a ton..."

"Do you feel like your going to throw up?"

"Nuh-uh. Just gotta headache, that's all. It happens sometimes when I look down too much when I'm in the car!" 

She gave the older man a bright smile, waving at him as he used his mirror to look back to the younger girl, her new pink and purple sketchbook next to her, half-open, rather than on her lap like it had been before.

"Well, I'm glad you feel better. Hey, I have an idea!"

"What's that, Mr. Voice?" Missy asked with a grin, spotting several animals - deer - as they drove. "Ooooh! Look! Deer! Aren't they cute, Mr. Voice?" she asked the older being, pressing her face against the nearby window. "Hiiiiii deers! You look real pretty today~!" 

Morgo chuckled, shaking his head as he took yet another turn, now entering a road that led into the forest. "What have you drawn, Miss Fortune? Would you like to tell me about them!"

_What's this?_

_He was interested in her drawings?_

The whole idea of this was a foreign concept to little Missy, all together. She was so used to the adults surrounding her not caring about her interests, she just assumed that naturally, nobody really cared when she did something like draw a new picture...even if she thought it was nice.

_'You're just wasting everyone's time, Misfortune,'_ her old mommy had always told her. _'Why not do something productive with your time? Maybe go out, and earn us some money or something?'_

"You sure, Mr. Voice?" Missy asked awkwardly, reaching for her sketchbook and shyly flipping it to the first page. "Mommy says most people don't wanna see what I draw 'cause it's 'unproductive'..."

_"Unproductive?_ My god, what the hell is she on?"

"Weed, I think."

Upon hearing this, Morgo immediately fell silent, a soft, yet clearly aggravated sigh escaping the man's lips. _"Figuratively speaking,_ Miss Fortune."

"Oh...then I dunno. She's just always been this way..."

"I'm sorry, dear. You don't deserve to be put down the way you are...well, have. Trust me when I say this, Missy, but if you ever want to show me something, I shall gladly give you my full attention. Your needs and wants are important, you know."

"Really...? Mommy and Daddy says-"

Morgo turned, onto the next road, leading them up the road, all the way to a rather large white home, with blue trimmings...Or as Missy would describe it, 'where those snobby meanies live'.

He parked the car upon driving up the driveway, and turned around in his seat, now facing the little girl. "My dear, I don't give a flying damn about what your so-called old 'parents' used to tell you. They're horrible people. They hurt you and pushed you aside like you were nothing. That's n way to treat anyone, let alone a child."

"Really...?"

He nodded, before turning back around and opening his door, and getting out. Morgo stretched for a second, before coming to Missy's door, and opening it, leading the little girl to unbuckle herself, before jumping out.

"Where are we, Mr. Voice...? It looks like we got off at the wrong place. Daddy says places like these are where the snobby meanies live," she told him, a soft giggle escaping her lips as Morgo took her hand, and began to lead her up the driveway, and up the steps to the front door. "Are you a snobby meanie, Mr. Voice?"

"No, but you're father is garbage."

"Aren't you my daddy now...? Why are you calling yourself trash?"

Morgo stared blankly at the girl for a solid minute, before giving her playful SMACK on the top of her head, making the girl let out a giggly 'ouch'. "Oh, shut up, you!"

_"Hey, I'm just sayin', Mr. Voice! That's not very nice!"_


	3. with eyes like toffee and a grin as sweet as candy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missy has just moved into her new father's home! She has a new room, new clothes, new toys, and a new confidence.
> 
> For once, her future seems bright!

"Well, what do you think Missy?" 

Missy awkwardly peered into the now-open room, the freshly-painted, snow-white door being held by her adoptive father, Morgo. 

Mr. Voice, ever since he had come to get her, had promised her a do-over in life. A new home, new, clothes, new opportunities- new everything. The promises, everything he said, was nothing short of exhilarating to the girl, who's life was formerly full of nothing but dull unhappiness.

All exciting, as well as tempting the new promises were, she still didn't know whether she should believe him, or not. 

I mean, seriously. Why should she even begin to? She had no reason to! Every time her old mama and papa promised her something, it never happened, as horrible as it was. But even so, that didn't stop the little thing from getting her hopes up! - they had to stick to their word eventually, didn't they?

"I...I dunno Mr. Voice..." Missy said shakily, looking up to the tall, older man. "You sure this is all mine, or are you just playing with me?"

"Playing with you...? Dear, please give me one reason, why on EARTH that I'd ever lie to you! What reason would I possibly have for duping you? What would I benefit from hurting your feelings?" Morgo asked, raising a licorice-black eyebrow, and cocking his head to the side, clearly baffled by the girl's question.

Little Missy gave the man a look, shrugging softly, as she finally stepped inside the room for the first time, her little backpack clutched in her arms. 

The girl took a deep breath, and looked around, at first not processing anything - until she realized what she was seeing.

She stood there, losing grip on her coral-pink backpack until it finally slipped out of her small hands, and landing on the floor, causing a reasonably loud PLOP! 

What was this? 

Was...this all her's...?

Missy shyly tucked a strand of her chocolate-brown hair behind an ear, taking in the room before her, an adorably dorky smile appearing on her lips. "You really got all this stuff for me, heh, Mr. Voice?"

Looking around the room, it was nothing more than a sight to behold - it looked like one of those ads for a little girl's bedrooms in those trendy, expensive magazines! 

The room was painted a pretty, sun-kissed, pale pink, detailed with white trimming, and beautiful, lacey white curtains, and a huge bay window to boot! 

Besides that, the place was crammed with lovely, new pristine, whicker-white furniture and an array of expensive toys, seemingly handpicked with the utmost care by Mr. Voice himself. 

Morgo gave the girl a warm smile, nodding gently. With this confirmation, the little girl let out a loud "YAY!" and ran to the older man, flinging herself around his legs so hard that it nearly topped the black-haired youth over!

"Oh geez, what a strong grip you have, Missy -" Morgo said, laughing, as he got down on his knees to Missy's level, and gave her a warm hug.

"Thank you! I try my best, Mr. Voice!" Missy chirped, giggling, as she snuggled deeper into her father's warm, loving embrace. "Did you really get this all for me?"

Pulling away, Morgo gave her a look. "Well, who else would I have gotten it for, Miss Fortune? Last time I checked, your the only daughter I have!"

"You sure? Sometimes adults say somethin', and then the opposite happens!"

"Well, I'm not like that Missy, and you know that. Right?"

"Mhm...maybe," Missy said, giving Morgo a shrug as she skipped towards her new bay window, and climbed on the fluffy cushions that sat atop the ledge of said window, making a perfect seat for her to just sit down and read, or sketch if she wished. "Oooh! You should really see the view from here, Mr. Voice! It looks real cool, haha!"

Morgo sighed, rolling his eyes as he let out a soft chuckle. "Why are you like this?"

Missy turned around, giggling. " 'Cause! I was made this way!" the brown-haired girl said with a bubbly grin, so breaking into jazz hands. "That's what makes me special, see?"

"Yes, it does, I suppose." Morgo agreed with a smile, soon joining Missy on the ledge. "You ready to start a new chapter in our lives, Miss Fortune?"

Looking out the window and admiring the many colors of the flowers on the property, she gave him an enthusiastic nod. "Yup! I'm really excited!" Missy soon turned back around, now face to face with Morgo, a gentle, yet cheery smile on her face. "But the big question is, are you?" she interrogated, pointing a questioning finger at the older man.

Morgo shook his head, laughing as he gave her a nod. "But of course. I've been ready, ever since I took you away from your so-called 'parents."

"Speakin' of my old Mommy and Daddy...what's gonna happen to them, now that I'm gone forever, from them?"

"Well, as you know, their both going to be in jail for quite a bit of time for everything that has happened to you," Morgo replied, a sigh escaping his lips. "They're not going to just...get away with it - as you know."

"I'm sorry for asking, Mr. Voice. I can't help it...I feel kinda bad, but at the same time...I just don't know."

Morgo turned to Missy, taking her hands in his, and making a point to make gentle eye contact with the younger girl. "My dear, I just want to let you know something-"

"What's that?" -"

"Miss Fortune, please don't cut me off. It's rude."

Missy blushed madly, awkwardly looking down before shrugging her shoulders. "I know...and I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Fortune. I just wanted to let you know that it was...no need to feel bad about it. You learn from your mistakes, and you grow from them. I know for a fact that someday, you'll be one of the finest young ladies in all of Openfieds!"

This made Missy smile, a few giggles escaping her pale pink lips as she looked up to the man. "Thank you, Mr. Voice! That makes me really happy. Mommy and Daddy never really told me stuff like that," she admitted, sighing softly. "They just...I dunno. Didn't really say anything."

"Well, that's no way to treat anyone. You know that, right?"

Missy nodded, before getting back onto her feet and going to her backpack. She got on her knees and zipped it open, pulling out a worn, patched rabbit doll, before giggling, and giving it a hug. "You see this, Mr. Voice?"

Morgo, looking from his seat, gave the girl a nod. "Of course, dear. Bright as day!"  
  


"I got this from Grandmomma. She says, whenever I am sad, just hug! So that's what I do!" She told the black-haired man, grinning, before giving the miserable thing a tight squeeze. "See? You see this right, Mr. Voice?"

"Yes! It looks very comforting, my dear. Does it help you get through...let's say...rough...er times? Like when your old Mommy and Daddy fought?"

Missy looked up from the doll, giving Morgo a quick nod. "Uh-huh. Her name is Olivia. She's real cute, isn't she?" 

Morgo got up from his seat and walked over to Missy. He gave the girl a smile, and then a loving pat on the head. "Cute, yes, but certainly not as cute as you, Miss Fortune. I think that anything cute-related, you take the cake."

The girl's eyes widened, practically sparkling from the compliment. "Ooh, really now?" She clutched the doll, grinning.

"I promise. Would I lie to you?"

The tiny girl stood there for a moment, old doll in arms, lost in the question for a moment before bouncing right back. "No! You're too nice, right Mr. Voice?"

Morgo shrugged, offering the girl a hand. "I'd sure like to think so."

"Where are we goin'?"

"To the kitchen. You did say you wanted cookies, didn't you? I know just the perfect recipe. That and we got some time to kill! The pizza isn't going to be here for a while, and I know you're probably famished." Morgo said with a grin, going to her bedroom door and opening it. 

"Your lyin'."

"Why would I lie? You like cookies and pizza, don't you? Are you saying you don't want any?"

Missy stood there, frozen in surprise before bursting into a fit of giggles and rushing through the now-opened door. "What are you waiting for, Mr. Voice? Let's Go!"

The young man chuckled, shaking his head before trailing after Missy. "Wait up, Miss Fortune!"


	4. surpy sweets with a curious smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as Morgo promised, it's time to make some cookies and order some pizza!

"So it's like, six cups?"

"No, it's two. Read the directions, Miss Fortune!"

Missy giggled, softly shrugging her shoulders as she grabbed the measuring cup, and filled it up to the brim with water from the nearby pitcher. "But you said six! Are you lyin' to me?"

"No, why would I do that?" Morgo asked, raising an eyebrow as he walked up to the counter, egg carton in hand. He set it down on the bench and grabbed a stepstool, carefully setting it down on the floor, near where the bowl was so that Missy could stir. "You must have not been paying attention, per usual," he said in a joking, disappointed tone. "Whatever shall I do with you, Missy?"

"Uhhh...deal wiv' it?"

"Uh-huhhhh....sureee...." Morgo said with a soft laugh, gently ruffling the girl's ebony hair, and offering her a kind, yet playful smile. 

  
"Sorry, Mr. Voice...I know we're kinda bein' funny right now, but I'm real sorry...I hope you know that." Missy told the older man, earnestly. "I accidentally put in three - didn't mean to!"

"Three, you say? Dear, that's not a problem at all. We can just balance it out with a bit more of the other ingredients if you already mixed it in. Did you?"

"Nope!" Missy replied, popping the 'P' as she grabbed a rather big spoon from the nearby drawer. "Can I use this to get the water that don't gotta be in there, out?" 

Morgo nodded with a soft sigh as he pulled out three eggs, gently putting them in a clear, glass bowl. "Yup. Just don't take out too much, alright? We don't want to add more ingredients and such if we don't have to."

"I promise!" Missy chirped cheerfully, a grin appearing on her rosebud-eqsue lips. She climbed atop the sturdy, charcoal-black stool and grabbed the nearby silver whisk, and pulled the turquoise-blue bowl that held all the unmixed contents, in front of her. 

She grabbed a nearby big black spoon, and scooped out a bit of water, dumping it into the adjacent sink before Morgo, one by one, handed her three eggs. 

Giggling, little Missy broke each shell as gently as she could and dropped yolk, whites, and all into the bowl, before taking ahold of the nearby whisk and starting to stir using the thing.

Several minutes passed, and before the newly-formed father-and-daughter pair had a giant clump of tasty-looking chocolate chip dough, ready to be formed and put on a cookie sheet, to be made into mouth-watering cookies. 

"We can't eat the dough, right?"

"Why would you want to?"

"Cause it's super yummy."

"Isn't it bad for you, Miss Fortune? I read about it somewhere before I went to the store and picked up these ingredients..."

"Uh...." The girl stood there for a second, whisk practically neck-deep in the tasty dough. "Yeah, kinda. But I've eaten it before, Mr. Voice. Nothin' ever really happened to me before! Pleaaaaase, pleeeeeeeeeeasssse let me have a little bit?" She begged her lovely brown eyes wide in hope as she gave her infamous 'puppy-dog eyes' to the older man. 

Morgo gave the girl a look, clearly not approving of the request. "Even if there's a slight chance it could harm you, I don't want to do it, Missy."

"Awwww! But come, ooooon!" Missy begged, unthinkingly, clumsily setting the whisk down near the edge of the flour-coated counter, "Jus' let me, pleeeease? Mommy always slapped me when I asked!"

"She did what now?!"

"You heard me!" Missy said, (concerningly) nonchalantly, I might add. "She said I shouldn't ask questions like that, or be surprised when I get hit 'cause I probably deserved it!"

The older man stood there, paused in horror as he drank in his little girl's words. How anyone, let alone PARENTS, ever treat their children like this? What was the point on even having them if you're not going to love or protect, but bully, and hurt them? 

He let out a quiet sigh, trying his absolute best to control his undeniable rage towards the whole situation.

Breathe in, breathe out.

These disgusting people weren't there anymore, to hurt Missy.

They'd be locked up for a very, very long time.

There's nothing to worry about.

_'Missy will be fine. She's with me, and I can always protect her from the dangers of the world.'_ Morgo thought as Missy jumped off the stepping-stool, she had been on earlier.

Missy skipped to the kitchen table and pulled on a pair of bright, plastic gloves, before eventually returning back to the stepping stool, and thus the counter, to start making the dough into little balls that they'd subsequently line the baking sheet with after they put on the wax paper.

"Missy, my dear...you do realize that her slapping you for that...or for literally any reason isn't okay, right?"

"It isn't?" Missy asked, looking up from the bowl of dough in confusion. "But, I thought that it was normal..."

"Well, it isn't. Trust me, no normal, loving parent wouldn't ever do that to their child," Morgo told her, just as he pulled on a similar pair of gloves to her's, and joined her back at the counter she was at. "Promise you'll try to remember that?"

She looked at him, a bit somber, and nodded, before grabbing a fistful of dough and quickly, yet carefully, molding it into a tiny ball. "Yeah...I'll try. Thank you for takin' me away from em'. Your the best dad I've ever had!"

"Really?" Morgo asked, taking the time to form several balls of dough on the now, wax sheeted, covered baking pan, before taking the dough that Missy had formed and done the same, in a neat, uniform style. "Or, are you just saying that so I'll buy you something?" he asked with a soft, joking tone, to (hopefully) lighten the mood. 

She chuckled and gave him yet another ball of dough. "Nahhhh! I'm sayin' the' cause it's super true! I never had anyone that helped me make cookies!"

"At all?"

"Uh-huh! Not even the ready dough ones...you know, from like...Nestle or Pil...lsbury?"

"Wow, really? Not even those? But they're so easy! And simple to do! Hardly any work at all...a bit lazy, I might add, but if your very busy and you want something to do with your kids or something like that, I do suppose they're good."

"Oooh, trus' me, Mt. Voice! Yeah, it's kinda lazy, but I had em' at Jessica's when she invited me over for a playdate a few months ago! We had the sugar cookie kind, it it was AMAZING!" 

"How amazing are we talking here, Missy?"

"Mhm...I dunno..."

"Surely they won't be as good as our cookies will be!"

Missy giggled, nodding her little head. "Yeah!"

A few minutes later, the cookies (well, dough, currently) were finally ready to go into the oven!

Missy scampered excitedly right after Morgo, as he made his way to the oven, the baking tray in hand.

He carefully opened the oven door - after telling Missy to calm down, so she wouldn't get hurt - and gingerly placed the tray inside the pulsating heat of the oven, before pulling away and closing it. He stamped in the time to wait and grabbed the nearby phone. "Now that those are in the oven, what kind of pizza would you like to eat?"

"You askin' me?"

"Is there anyone else in this house I should know about, Missy?"

"Uhhh...." The girl stood there for a second. "No?"

"Then good," Morgo said with a chuckle, before asking the question again. "Now - what kind of pizza would you like me to order?"

"What kind can I ask for?"

"Whatever kind you wish, my dear."

"Any kind?"

"Any kind," Morgo reaffirmed, with a nod of his head.

"In that case...Can we jus' get cheese...? But like, with extra cheese?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Then that's what we'll get!"

He grinned, and patted the girl on the head, playfully ruffling her hair - only to get an annoyed look out of it. He laughed and dialed the number of the local pizza place, and started to order.

Meanwhile, Missy raced to the table, where several blank pages of paper and a box of Crayola brand crayons were. She selected a midnight blue crayon from the box and started to carefully scribble a background onto the blank sheet as Morgo spoke to the person on the phone.

"Missy?"

"Yeah?"

"There's an offer right now, which means we can get some soda along with the pizza," Morgo told her, awkwardly covering the receiver. "What kind would you like?"

"Uh...they got...Coke?"

There was a silence for a second, as Morgo talked to the person on the phone. 

"No, but they have Pepsi. Is there a difference? 

The little girl groaned in annoyance and nodded, but shrugged her shoulders anyhow. "Yeah...but it's ok. Jus' along as I get a soda for once!"

"So it's ok!"

"Yup!"

"That's good! 

Morgo continued his conversation, before finally hanging up. He went around the kitchen and cleaned up a bit, before finally taking a seat at the table.

"What are you drawing?"

"Mhm...I dunno yet..."

"You don't know?"

"Nah. But...You could help me!"

"You would want me to help you?" Morgo asked, suddenly smiling like a complete idiot.

"Yeah!" Missy nodded happily, taking the chance to look up from the scribbled-on paper. "The only thing that I put on this paper so far is blue! You can he;p be figure out what I'm drawin'! It'll be super fun - like a game!"

"A game, you say?"

"Yeah! You like those, right?"

"Indeed I do Missy. Indeed...I do."


	5. sweet-smelling school books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new day, a new adventure to start! - It's Morgo's first crack at homeschooling little Missy!

"Missy, have you finished your breakfast and put the dishes in the sink like I asked?" Morgo asked, just finishing up setting all of his daughter's school work on the living room coffee table.

It had been a grand total of a week since their little baking adventure, and a few days since they had ventured back into civilization, from their country home, to gather some school supplies. 

Originally, Morgo had planned to send her back to her school just...simply -

the one that she had attended before this, but after some thought, he decided that it was for the best that, for the remainder of the year, that she took some time off from the old environment she had been in. After all, with living with such as her parents, would it really bring back good memories? He doubted it.

Which is why after stopping off at the library for some books for Missy to read -

as well as a couple of DVDs to boot for a movie night that Friday, Morgo had stopped by at the education state-building earlier to get some information - before taking her out of the old school, enrolling.

He looked up and smiled warmly at the little girl before him, dolled up in a blue and white polka dot dress and frilly socks, walking to the couch - no, bouncing, to the sofa, sparkly gel glitter pens grasped tightly in her tiny fingers. "Ready? Remember darling; this may feel tedious at first-"

"What?"

"What's what?"

"That word! T...ted..." Missy paused, stopping in her tracks. She furrowed her dark eyebrows in concentration, slightly sticking her bubblegum pink tongue out as she thought. "Uh...tedi...ous...Tedious! That's how ya say it, right?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"That's right! Tedious! It means 'slow,' or 'dull' - things like that."

"School's already like that, Mr. Voice! How's this gonna be any different?"

"Well...first of all, we can have fun assignments! We can do more than just a workbook, you know."

More than a workbook? Could they do something interesting for once? To Missy, School and interesting didn't go in the same sentence, but maybe - huh. Was it even humanly possible?

The girl stared at her father for what seemed like hours, clearly doubting it, but she shrugged and sat down next to the man anyways. "Eh. Whatever you say. How long is this gonna be, anyways? As long as normal School?"

"No. Just three hours. We don't have to have all the subjects every day. We can split them up. I recommend it's a mix of subjects you like, though. Not just a group that you like, and the other that you hate," Morgo said, pulling out a sheet of paper, with all of Missy's classes listed in neat, careful cursive. "What do you think?"

\- _**Mathematics**_

\- _**Geography**_

\- _**Social Studies**_

\- _**Science**_

\- _**Reading**_

-_ **Music **_

\- _**Art**_

\- _**Physical Education** _

"Those are my classes?"

"Indeed, they are! Would you like to group them yourself, Missy?"

"I can do that?"

"Yup! Now, what do you think?"

Missy sat up in her seat, setting down the array of gel glitter pens on the table, before selecting three: pink, purple, and orange. - All pastel. She leaned over, studying the list as if it were an exam, impatiently tapping her orange pen on the hard surface. 

What would she like to do? She should balance it! She didn't want one day to be like...what. Five subjects and then the next three? That sounded so overwhelming! 

Uncapping her pen (the orange, remember?), she circled science, geography, and art. In purple, she circled mathematics and reading. And in pink, she circled music, physical education, and social studies.

Satisfied with her work, she carefully picked up the paper and looked it over, nodding before grinning broadly and practically shoving it into Morgo's hands. "Did iiiit~! What do ya think? I think it's good, yes?"

He blinked in slight surprise, before taking ahold of the paper that had been trusted into his hands and taking a look. After looking it over for a second, he looked back up and smiled. "Is this it, Missy?"

"Uh, HUH!"

"You sure, dear? I mean...we can always change it later of course, but I just really, really want to make sure before-"

"I promise! This is good! I like it, Mr. Voice! I've never ever, ever, ever done somethin' like this before! Never EVER!" Missy chirped happily, jumping off the couch and doing a little dance, making Morgo laugh. 

"You sure do have a lot of energy today, don't you? It's eight in the morning. A lot of kids I've seen - adults too, and everyone in between, is barely awake! But with you, you're already up and about!"

"Uh-huh! It's prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrobably 'cause I went to bed super early, and then I got lots of yummy food for breakfast!"

"Ah, really?"

"Yuh-huh! I like waffles! 'Specially if they have chocolate chips, and they're all melty! Oooooh! With maple syrup..." 

Morgo smiled and nodded as she continued to babble his ears off, taking the chance to fill out several paperworks. He got to complete about three out of the large stack he had, before he noticed that Missy finished talking, and now running around the living room, hopping from seat to seat. "Missy, sit down. It's time for School!"

"Awwhhhhhhhh...! But your takin' forever!" She groaned, giving him a look, taking one last jump, and landing on her rear before skipping back to her seat. "How long is this gonna be again?"

"As long as you make it." He said, grinning as she looked at him in disgust. "I have some books for you to look over - nothing's official yet, but I need you to get a feel for your subjects, as well as what homeschool is going to be like, alright?"

"Ugh...okayyy..." Missy nodded, grabbing a nearby textbook and cracking it open, getting her first look at it. "Wait! Huh...Mr. Voice, I haven't seen...this don't look like any of my old textbooks!"

"That's because this textbook was made by different people than the people that made your old school textbooks."

"Oh, really?"

"Mhm-hm. Plus, this will be more fun. These have labs!"

"Labs?"

"Their assignments that are more than just boring reading out of the book and taking notes and the like! You get to go outside, and look for things! - Among other things."

"Really?"

"Yup! Doesn't that sound fun, my dear?"

"Only if we can do one soon!"

"When do you want to do one?"

The girl grinned and rested her elbows on the table, giving Morgo a look. "Mhm...when are ya gonna be done with your stupid paperwork...?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope! And besides, you said it was time to do School - so let's do THIS!" 


	6. golden afternoon. / part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A picnic is planned - a day full of adventure is to be had!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for my lack of updates!!!!! i keep getting carried away with all the projects I'm doing (both fic and art stuff), but I'll try my best to update this more!!

"Mr. Voice, c'monnnnnnnnnnnn! We gotta get goin'! - The sun's going to go down, and you promised we'd look for pretty rocks!"

"Missy, hold your horses - I...Think is how they say it?" Morgo said, almost as if asking the statement himself. The man shrugged before shaking his head as he got out of the car, picnic basket, as well as a blanket in hand. "Did you remember to bring everything you wanted? Like your paints and your paper? Your brushes, too? Remember, that was your job, and I told you several times!" 

"Yes, yes! I know! And I gottem!" The girl confirmed, waving the pile of supplies she had brought with her, a broad grin on her face. "Are you proud of me?"

"Of course, I am! I am always proud of you-"

"Like when I did all my work real fast?"

"Yes, but you failed to proofread."

"That's what you're for!" 

"Tch."

"Hehe~" Missy giggled, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she gave her dad a smile before trotting off to several feet ahead of them, plopping everything she had in her arms down. "HERE!" She yelled, enthusiastically pointing down to the spot she had chosen. "Mr. Voice!"

"Hold on, I'm coming!" 

Missy grinned broadly, waving her father over as she came to the spot she had chosen, carefully setting the basket down next to her before meticulously beginning to set don the picnic blanket from earlier. 

Smoothing it out, he grabbed the basket he had set down nearby and opened it, checking all its contents before nodding. "Yup, as I suspected...didn't forget a thing," Morgo said with a satisfied smile. "Now, do you know what you want to do first? Lunch, or are we looking for uh....-"

"Rocks~!"

"Rocks, yes, right. Speaking of the rocks, what are you planning to do with them?" Morgo asked the brown-eyed girl as she looked through her supplies and pulled out a clear container that held an array of colorful acrylic paint. 

"Hm...Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeell~ I've been kinda thinkin', you see?" She said, opening it uncarefully and taking out a bottle of teapot blue and giving it a look. "A girl in the other class always showed pictures of the pretty rocks she painted and put in her garden! - I've always wanted to try, and you said we could have one - a garden! And I got all these paints, so I thought...why not?" 

"Painting them, you say? Interesting. What are you planning to paint on them? And speaking of the garden, you never told me WHAT you wanted to plant! When are we going to discuss that?"

"Huh-huh! And lots of things - I gotta lot of ideas, hehe~ I brought a brunch of cute magazines and stuff for re....r....uh...Mr. Voice? I forget the word!"

"Reference...?"

"Oooooooooooooooh YEAH! That's the word I'm lookin' for!" Missy smiled, wagging a finger in the air before looking around for a moment. "I wanna go look, can I?!"

"What do you say, Miss Fortune?" Morgo asked semi-jokingly, pulling out a few plates.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase~?"

"You got it - and," he reached into the basket, taking out some napkins. "Don't stray too far, and don't be too long! You want to drink your punch before it gets warm. And the same for your sandwich? I doubt you'd like eating sun-baked peanut butter and jelly."

Missy made a face, clearly disgusted at the very thought. "Sun-baked PB&J? Ewwwwwwwwwww! That sounds so gross! Why would you even say that?"

"Hey, it's a possibility!"

"Ugh, but still - I'll be real, REAL close, ok? I'll come back as soon as I get like, 2 rocks, okay?" 

"Sounds good!"

Getting up, Missy took a second to dust herself off before leaving the blanket to go and find some rocks for painting. Passing by several eye-catching flowers, a nearby busy squirrel running up a lonely old tree, and a finch flying by, she took in the scene around her.

She giggled softly, raising her arms a bit, enjoying the warm sun. It was so nice out! Missy was so happy that today was the day she and Mr. Morgo had agreed to do this, and not yesterday - which had been. At first, the original day they had planned. 

On Tuesday, just after a walk around the local park in the neighboring town, taking a break under a shady oak tree, she and Morgo took out one of her favorite books - Alice in Wonderland - and suddenly...she didn't know why. Still, she wanted to go on a picnic. Just as Morgo finished the story and suggested they go get something to drink at the local convenience store, Missy told her dad her idea. 

_"Why don't we go on a picnic? We could do lots of fun things!"_ She had asked hopefully, as the two of them walked down the street and to said store, just as a lazy little caterpillar crawled nearby. 

"I have quite a bit of work to do...We can, of course! It would take me a while to plan it out, and all - it depends on when you'd like to go!"

"What if I helped?"

_"Then we could go very, very soon!"_

_"How soon?"_ Missy had demanded, looking at him curiously. _"Could we do it this week?"_

_"If we start planning when we get home. Sound like a plan?"_

_"Huh-huh!" _

Taking another step, she stumbled, almost taking a fall before thankfully catching herself - and turning her head, noticing light grey, fist-sized rock right where she had almost tripped! 

She bent down, and in one fell swoop, picked it up before standing back up and moving a little more ways to find another. Missy ran into several more on her search, but most of them (in her opinion) was much too small! 

Missy shook her head in disapproval, setting one that she had looked at for a second before continuing on her way...

'No...nuh-uh...nope...Not even close!' She thought with a sigh, starting to get a bit aggravated at the lack of options she currently had. _'Hopefully, I can find another one soon! I feel like I will, at any moment! Just a lil' more time - I can feel it!'_ Missy told herself, nodding, feeling a bit more confident as she continued. 

Nope. 

Not this one, either.

No-

**WAIT.**

Missy glanced sideways, checking in between a few taller blades of bright green grass, before finally spotting the rock she had been looking for! A bit bigger than the first, she smiled in satisfaction before looking up, taking a second to stretch, and happily racing back to where Morgo was seated.

"Mr. Voice, Mr. Voice! - Look, look, look!" Missy giggled, practically shoving them in his face. "Aren't they amazing?! I'm going to make them look sooooooo fabulous!"

"That, you will!" Morgo chuckled softly, handing Missy an ice-cold can of fruit punch, just as she had put the rocks down, on her pile of supplies. "Let's eat first, though!"

"Yes!" Missy smiled brightly, taking a seat right next to her father. _"Let's!" _


End file.
